50 killed in Easter Sunday bombings in Nigeria
Abuja, April 8
At least 50 people were killed when explosives concealed in two cars went off near a church during Easter Sunday services in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, eye-witnesses said.
Shehu Sani, the President of Civil Rights Congress based in Kaduna, said two
explosions took place at the Assemblies of God's Church near the centre of the
city with a large Christian population and known as a major cultural and
economic centre in Nigeria's north.

Security personnel inspect the mangled remains of a bomb-laden car that exploded. in northern Nigerian city of
Kaduna.
— AFP

Islamabad, April 8
Racing against time, Pakistani troops, aided by sniffer dogs and mechanical equipment, today frantically searched for 135 people, mostly soldiers, buried under dozens of feet of snow after a massive avalanche slammed into a key army camp in the Siachen sector near Indian border.

Pakistan’s army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visits the site where an avalanche hit a military camp in Siachen. — AP

UK govt website hacked
London, April 8
Hackers have reportedly attacked the website of the British Home Office, shutting it down for at least one hour on Saturday night.
The attack, which hacking group Anonymous had pledged to carry out days before on Wednesday, left the website offline with a message reading, "Due to a high volume of traffic this page is currently unavailable."

Syrian tanks pound province near Turkey
Antioch, April 8
Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled an area in the rebellious province of Idlib near the border with Turkey on Sunday leaving dozens dead or injured, opposition activists said.

Syria says no pullback without guarantees
Beirut, April 8Syria on Sunday demanded written guarantees insurgents will stop fighting before it pulls back troops under the terms of a U.N. peace plan, and a rebel leader said the initiative was doomed. "The regime will not implement this plan. This plan will fail," Free Syrian Army
(FSA) chief Riad al-Asaad told Reuters.

N Korea planning third N-test: Report
Seoul, April 8
North Korea, pressing ahead with a rocket launch in defiance of a UN resolution, is also preparing a third nuclear weapons test, South Korean news reports said on Sunday, a move bound to scare neighbours and infuriate the West.

Titanic memorial cruise sets sail to wreck site
London, April 8
A cruise ship carrying 1,309 passengers, the same number as were on the Titanic, left on a voyage to recreate the exact journey the famous vessel took on its ill-fated maiden voyage 100 years ago.

Titanic hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, sinking to almost 4,000 metres in waters off Newfoundland on the night of April 14, 1912.

British scientist ‘fathered 600 kids’ by donating sperms
London, April 8
A leading British scientist is believed to have fathered up to 600 children by donating sperm at his own fertility clinic between the early 1940s and the mid-1960s, a media report said. Bertold
Wiesner, who died in 1972, may have been one of the primary donors for the London-based Barton Clinic, which helped women conceive around 1,500 babies, between the early 1940s and the mid-1960s.

London, April 8
Scientists claim to have developed a "universal" cancer vaccine that can train patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells.
A team from Tel Aviv University and drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics say the therapy targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, and could soon pave the way for a universal injection that allows patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

An arts student paints masks for the Bengali New Year day, that falls on April 14,
in Dhaka on Sunday. — AFP

Army kills 14 militants in NW Pak
Islamabad, April 8
Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked hideouts on Sunday in a tribal area near the border with Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 14 suspected militants, military sources said.

London, April 8Want to know whether someone is lying to you? Just look at the person's eyebrows and lips, they can give you the answer, scientists say.
A team from the University of British Columbia in Canada claimed to have identified four facial muscles that can "leak" a person's true feelings like guilt, amid intense emotional pressures.

Damascus says no pullback without
guaranteesDamascus, April 8The Syrian government will not withdraw its forces from Syrian protest hubs without "written guarantees" that the opposition will also lay down its arms, the foreign ministry said in a statement today.

Abuja, April 8
At least 50 people were killed when explosives concealed in two cars went off near a church during Easter Sunday services in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna, eye-witnesses said.

Shehu Sani, the President of Civil Rights Congress based in Kaduna, said two explosions took place at the Assemblies of God's Church near the centre of the city with a large
Christian population and known as a major cultural and economic centre in Nigeria's north.

"There were two explosions and the casualty
figure may go up because some injuries were really critical," he said on the phone.

Another resident of
the city, Miss Blessing Audu told PTI that the explosion has caused panic among Christians celebrating Easter.

She said some parts of the church were damaged even as the vibration caused by the explosives were heard in several parts of the city.

An emergency worker on condition of anonymity explained that the bombs were planted in two cars near the church.

At least 50 people were killed amid fears that the casualties may rise from the blasts.

He said his agency has been able to recover 20 bodies from the site.

Police spokesman Aminu Lawal confirmed the incident to PTI but sought more time before making a formal statement.

Ahead of Easter celebrations, the US and the UK had warned of possible bomb attacks, advising its citizens against travelling to certain parts of
the country.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the BBC reported that Boko Haram recently said it would carry out attacks in
the area over the Easter holiday. — PTI

An aerial view of Pakistani troops searching for the avalanche victims. — AFP

Islamabad, April 8
Racing against time, Pakistani troops, aided by sniffer dogs and mechanical equipment, today frantically searched for 135 people, mostly soldiers, buried under dozens of feet of snow after a massive avalanche slammed into a key army camp in the Siachen sector near Indian border.

Rescuers resumed the desperate search after suspending the operation late last night because of darkness and poor weather, though there were no signs of survivors a day after the avalanche hit the camp.

Military officials told the media that there was no information of survivors as army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani flew to Skardu to personally review the rescue operation.

Heavy machinery was airlifted from the garrison city of Rawalpindi for the rescue effort, officials said.

The avalanche hit a battalion headquarters at Gyari in Siachen sector, burying 124 security personnel and 11 civilians under up to 80 feet of snow in an area a kilometre wide.

Sri Lankan police has begun an investigation to identify the motives and culprits behind the
vandalising of several statues including one of Mahatma Gandhi in the eastern Sri Lankan town
of Batticaloa.

The Gandhi statue was vandalised along with statues of two Tamil nationals, one a scholar, one poet as well as one of the founders of the boys scout movement, Lord Baden Powell. The Ministry of External Affairs in Sri Lanka said the Inspector General of Police has been told to carry out an “immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents to identify motives and culprits behind the acts
of vandalism”.

It is not clear if the attacks are linked to the recent anti-western and anti-Indian sentiments that have cropped up after many western nations and India voted for a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council calling for an investigation into alleged war crimes that may
have been committed during the last months of the war against Tamil Tigers in 2009.

There have been calls in recent weeks by local politicians to boycott US products as that country sponsored the UN resolution. Many walls have been painted with anti-US graffiti in Colombo.

London, April 8
Hackers have reportedly attacked the website of the British Home Office, shutting it down for at least one hour on Saturday night.
The attack, which hacking group Anonymous had pledged to carry out days before on Wednesday, left the website offline with a message reading, "Due to a high volume of traffic this page is currently unavailable."

Anonymous hacked the site in an apparent protest against extraditions of British citizens to the US and "draconian surveillance proposals" by British government, media reports said.

The hacking group appeared to be angry at extradition proceedings against 46-year-old UK citizen Gary McKinnon, who is accused of hacking US military computers.

Other posts about "draconian surveillance proposals" suggested the hackers were also angry about recent government draft proposals that would potentially allow security services to monitor every email, phone call and website visit to see who people were contacting and what sites they're looking at.

On Twitter, messages purporting to be from the hacking group, were posted under the name AnonOpUK, saying, "Anonymous is famous. UK Home Office. Maybe you should start to listen to the people." Another message, apparently urging the hackers to continue the attack said: "Keep firing!" A Home Office spokesman told 'The Daily Telegraph': "We are aware of some reports that the Home Office website may be the subject of an online protest. We have put all potential measures in place and will be monitoring the situation very closely."
— PTI

Antioch, April 8
Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled an area in the rebellious province of Idlib near the border with Turkey on Sunday leaving dozens dead or injured, opposition activists said.

Around 90 tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by helicopters, bombarded the al-Rouge Plain southwest of Idlib city, the provincial capital, activists inside Syria and on the border with Turkey told Reuters.

Fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army were surrounded in al-Bashiriya, one of about 40 villages in the plain, activists added.

"The army is shelling
al-Rouge with tanks, and helicopters are firing rockets at al-Bashiriya. Tens of people have fallen dead or injured but we cannot get to them because the bombardment is heavy,"
said activist Mahmoud Ali, with the sound of helicopters audible on the phone.
— Reuters

Beirut, April 8
Syria on Sunday demanded written guarantees insurgents will stop fighting before it pulls back troops under the terms of a U.N. peace plan, and a rebel leader said the initiative was doomed. "The regime will not implement this plan. This plan will fail," Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Riad al-Asaad told Reuters.

Escalating violence has already raised questions over ceasefire. Opposition activists said dozens were killed and wounded on Sunday when President Bashar al-Assad's loyalists shelled a rebellious area near border with Turkey.

UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, seeking to end a conflict that has killed more than 9,000 people in the past year, said the latest bloodshed violated the guarantees he had been given and urged Damascus to keep its promises.

The deal Annan brokered calls on Syria to begin pullback of troops from around towns and cities by Tuesday and for a truce to start
48 hours later.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said in a statement that Syria also wanted the written guarantees. Annan has expressed shock at the "surge in violence and atrocities".
— Reuters

Govt offensive continues

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad shelled an area in the rebellious province of Idlib near the border with Turkey on Sunday leaving dozens dead or injured, opposition activists said. Around 90 tanks and armoured vehicles, backed by helicopters, bombarded the al-Rouge Plain southwest of Idlib city, the provincial capital, activists inside Syria and on the border with Turkey told Reuters. Fighters from the rebel Free Syrian Army were surrounded in al-Bashiriya, one of about 40 villages in the plain.

Seoul, April 8
North Korea, pressing ahead with a rocket launch in defiance of a UN resolution, is also preparing a third nuclear weapons test, South Korean news reports said on Sunday, a move bound to scare neighbours and infuriate the West.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unidentified intelligence source as saying North Korea was "clandestinely preparing a nuclear test" at the same location as the first two.

The source added that workers in the destitute North had been seen in commercial satellite images digging a tunnel in the northeastern town of Punggye-ri, Kilju County, in addition to existing mines believed to have been used for tests in 2006 and 2009.

"We have confirmed the (mining) work is coming to its final stage," the source was quoted as saying.

The satellite imagery showed piles of earth and sand at the entrance of the tunnel, Yonhap said.

North Korea, which three years ago pulled out of six-party disarmament talks on its nuclear programme, agreed in February to stop nuclear tests, uranium enrichment and long-range missile launches in return for food aid, opening the way to a possible resumption of the negotiations.

But that has all since unravelled with the North's rocket launch planned for this month.
— Reuters

London, April 8
A cruise ship carrying 1,309 passengers, the same number as were on the Titanic, left on a voyage to recreate the exact journey the famous vessel took on its ill-fated maiden voyage 100 years ago.

The MS Balmoral left Southampton port on a 12-night cruise with the exact same number of passengers as the Titanic. The departure date and location are part of an attempt to create an authentic Titanic experience.

Passengers from 28 countries have paid between 2,799 pounds and 5,995 pounds per person for the privilege of retracing the route of the ship involved in probably the world's most famous maritime disaster, The Independent reported.

The Balmoral left Southampton port, tracing Titanic's exact route - via Cherbourg in France and Cobh on the south coast of Ireland - arriving at the spot where liner sank.

The Titanic hit an iceberg on April 15, 1912 and sank claiming 1,517 lives. At a dinner on April 13 passengers will eat from a menu made up entirely of dishes which were served on the Titanic and guests will also enjoy a Titanic-inspired dish daily.
There will be a special memorial service for passengers above the wreck site on April 14 starting at 11.40pm, when the ship hit the iceberg and another at 2.20 am on April 15 when it sank.

Some of the relatives of those who died on the Titanic are passengers on the ship as well as relatives of survivors along with authors, historians and people fascinated by the Titanic story.

During the journey academics and other experts
on the sinking will deliver lectures.

Philip Littlejohn, grandson of survivor Alexander James Littlejohn, said: "I'm sure my grandfather, a 1st Class Steward on RMS Titanic, would be proud to know his story will be shared with the passengers on this historic cruise.

"It will be an emotional moment when we are over the wreck site, where I dived in 2001, and where my grandfather left Titanic rowing Lifeboat 13," he was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Miles Morgan, managing director of Miles Morgan Travel, said: "This cruise has been five years in the making and every step of the way we have sought to make it authentic to the era and a sympathetic memorial to the passengers and crew who lost their lives."
— PTI

Total recall

MS Balmoral left Southampton port with 1,309 passengers, the same number as were on the Titanic, to recreate the exact journey the famous vessel took on its ill-fated maiden voyage 100 years ago

Passengers from 28 countries have paid between £ 2,799 and £ 5,995 per person for the privilege of retracing the route of the ship involved in probably the world's most famous maritime disaster, The Independent reported

At a dinner on April 13, passengers will eat from a menu made up entirely of dishes which were served on the Titanic and guests will also enjoy a Titanic-inspired dish daily

London, April 8
A leading British scientist is believed to have fathered up to 600 children by donating sperm at his own fertility clinic between the early 1940s and the mid-1960s, a media report said. Bertold Wiesner, who died in 1972, may have been one of the primary donors for the London-based Barton Clinic, which helped women conceive around 1,500 babies, between the early 1940s and the mid-1960s.

This staggering claim has been made by two men conceived at the clinic who discovered they are his biological sons, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Documentary maker Barry Stevens from Canada and London -based barrister David Gollancz tracked down 18 other people conceived at the clinic and found that 12, two thirds of those tested, were also fathered by Dr Wiesner.

From results, Stevens and Gollancz argue that Wiesner must have fathered as many as 600 children. "A conservative estimate is he would have been making 20 donations a year. Using standard figures for live births which result, including allowances for twins and miscarriages, I estimate he is responsible for between 300 and 600 children," Gollancz told 'The Sunday Times'. If Wiesner did father 600 children, it would beat all previous records — with an anonymous American sperm donor who fathered 150 children currently being the highest known figure, the report said.
— PTI

London, April 8
Scientists claim to have developed a "universal" cancer vaccine that can train patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells.
A team from Tel Aviv University and drug company Vaxil Biotheraputics say the therapy targets a molecule found in 90 per cent of all cancers, and could soon pave the way for a universal injection that allows patients' immune systems to fight off common cancers including breast and prostate cancer.

Preliminary results from early clinical trials have shown that the vaccine can trigger an immune response in patients and reduce levels of disease, 'The Sunday Telegraph' reported.

Now, the scientists hope to conduct larger trials in patients to prove it can be effective against a range of different cancers.

In fact, they believe it could be used to combat small tumours if they are detected early enough or to prevent the return of the disease in patients who have undergone other forms of treatment such as surgery.

Cancer cells usually evade patient's immune systems because they are not recognised as being a threat. While the immune system usually attacks foreign cells such as bacteria, tumours are formed of patient's own cells that malfunctioned.

The scientists have, however, found that a molecule called MUC1, found in high amounts on the surface of cancer cells, can be used to help immune system detect tumours.
— PTI

Islamabad, April 8
Pakistani helicopter gunships attacked hideouts on Sunday in a tribal area near the border with Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 14 suspected militants, military sources said.

Ten suspected militants were injured in operations in two areas of Orakzai tribal agency. The casualty figures provided by the Pakistani military could not be independently verified and militants often dispute official accounts. Pakistan's army and air force have been conducting operations against militants in Orakzai and the neighbouring Kurram tribal region since beginning of the year.
— Reuters

Jerusalem, April 8
Warning that Iranian nuclear programme is a challenge to the whole world, not just to it, Israel today asked the six-power group negotiating with Tehran to set stringent limits on its atomic ambitions.

"We see the Iranian nuclear military programme as a challenge to the whole world, not just to Israel," Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak told CNN. Barak said the current sanctions and pressure will not bring the Iranian leadership to the conclusion that they have to stop their nuclear programme. The US and EU have imposed a series of sanctions against Iran.
— PTI

London, April 8
Want to know whether someone is lying to you? Just look at the person's eyebrows and lips, they can give you the answer, scientists say.
A team from the University of British Columbia in Canada claimed to have identified four facial muscles that can "leak" a person's true feelings like guilt, amid intense emotional pressures.

While liars were betrayed by tiny movements that caused them to raise their eyebrows in surprised expressions and smile slightly, innocent people tended to furrow their brow in genuine "expressions of distress", the researchers found.

A person's lack of control over their facial expressions meant genuine feelings could be differentiated from fake emotion, they said.

Most humans, according to them, can control lower face muscles to talk or eat but those in the upper face are difficult to manipulate and can spark involuntary
behaviour.

"Our research suggests that muscles of the face are not under complete conscious control and certain muscles are likely to betray the liar, particularly in high-stakes and highly emotional situations," Dr Leanne ten Brinke, who led the study, told The Daily Telegraph.

"Facial cues are an important, but often ignored, aspect of credibility assessments where an emotional issue is in question," she said.
— PTI

Damascus, April 8
The Syrian government will not withdraw its forces from Syrian protest hubs without "written guarantees" that the opposition will also lay down its arms, the foreign ministry said in a statement today.

"To say that Syria will pull back its forces from towns on April 10 is inaccurate, Kofi Annan having not yet presented written guarantees on the acceptance by armed terrorist groups of a halt to all violence," it said.

"Mr Annan has not submitted written guarantees from the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on stopping their funding to terrorist groups," the ministry added.
— AFP